Scottish Stovies (Traditional Recipe with Variations)

Like many classic Scottish recipes, every family has their own unique way of making Stovies. I stick with the traditional use of roast dinner leftovers, bulked out with sausages. But I include all the possible variations below. This is my family's recipe; it's easy to follow, budget friendly, packed with flavour and nostalgia and makes use of any leftovers, so I hope you enjoy it!

Slow cooked potatoes, left over meats, soft onions and rich stock come together to create a dish that’s warming and filling. There are few dishes more comforting than a traditional Scottish Stovies recipe. Simple, hearty and full of flavour, it’s the kind of meal that makes the most of leftover ingredients. It turns them into something new and delicious!

Serve with oatcakes, crusty bread or a dollop of pickled beetroot for a proper Scottish touch, this is comfort food at its very best. Plus my kids love it!

What are Scottish Stovies?

Recipes for stovies varies so much across Scotland and is one of the most contentious food-based subjects for Scottish people (just read these comments). Someone went so far as to say to me when I shared my recipe: "having a camera phone does not make you a Chef. Give it up". Us Scots can be brutal to each other when it's something we have strong opinions on!

Origin of Stovies

The origin of Scottish stovies is said to come from a 19th century dish which was initially developed to make leftover meat 'go further'. It turned roast meat from a roast dinner into a wholly different dish the next day. So thats what I decided to do with this roast beef below.

Ingredient Variations

The base of the dish is potatoes, like with a lot of Scottish dishes, with the addition of beef dripping, onions and leftover meat. However, Scottish stovies from across Scotland comes in many forms:

• leftover meat only (the true classic option, in my opinion)
• corned beef (I would call this Corned Beef Hash)
• sausages only (I would call this Stewed Sausages)
• mince (I would call this Mince and Tatties - the stovies version would be all mixed up together until it resembled a less chunky version of my recipe)
• leftover meat and sausages (like my recipe - leftover meat is the origin of the dish but its then bulked out with sausages)

Stovies is especially popular in and around Aberdeen, which is where I tried them for the first time. My family regularly visited Stonehaven when I was a kid and a lot of the butchers and farm shops will have Stovies as a ready-made meal option.

When buying them, the main ingredient is usually potatoes. Although from the various local business sources I've linked above I think you can appreciate the real breadth of regional and personal interpretation on this one. So with that in mind, let's make MY version of stovies and try not to get too angry ...

Ingredients and Notes

Please be sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the complete ingredient list and details.

• Meat: use whatever meat you have left over - it's why I give a total weight volume on the recipe card below. If you have enough leftover meat, it'll be all you need to use. But if you want to bulk it out a bit, then add some sausages. I personally use pork links but beef links or even Lorne (square) sausage would also work. Or, like mentioned above; you could also use beef mince or corned beef.
• Potatoes: ideally use a floury (starchy) potato that will start to break down slightly during cooking and add some substance to the stovies e.g. King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree etc.
• Beef Dripping: traditionally using the beef dripping from the roast beef, you can buy beef dripping (beef tallow) online, find it in local butcher shops or alternatively use a neutral oil (vegetable oil) if needed. I don't use it in this recipe as the fat that comes from the sausages is enough.
• Onion: you could also add carrot or turnip (rutabaga/neeps) too if you wanted some extra vegetables
• Beef Stock: I use stock of whatever the leftover meat I'm using is (e.g. if I had a leftover lamb roast, then I use lamb stock etc.)

How to make Scottish Stovies

Prepare: Peel and chop potatoes into chunks, finely chop onion (and carrot if using). Cut sausages into bite sized pieces and cut leftover meat up as well.

Melt: If you're making stovies using leftover meat only, then you'll need the dripping. Melt the beef dripping to soften the onion if using leftover meat. If using sausages, they'll release enough fat otherwise.

Soften: Add the uncooked sausages (chopped into chunks) and onion to a pot and cook until onions have softened and sausages are caramelising (turning a golden brown on the outside).

Simmer: Add the cooked leftover meat, peeled and halved potatoes and beef stock. The stock should be able to cover the potatoes as we’ll need them to cook in the pot - so add a little more if they aren’t submerged - and bring to the boil.

Thicken: Reduce the heat to medium/high heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the veg and potatoes are softened. Everything should look like it’s starting to come together.

Stir: mix through through any leftover gravy or make some up using gravy granules if desired. This isn’t wholly necessary, as it should have thickened up adequately without, but it's good to use up.

Serve: plate up stovies with oatcakes, pickled beetroot or bread and butter.

Serving suggestions and storage

Serve with:

• Oatcakes (this is traditional - I personally love Barnett's Bakery in Fife)
• A slice of bread lathered in butter!
• Baxters pickled beetroot

Storage:

• in the fridge in an air tight container for 3-4 days.
• freeze for up to 3 months

You may need to add a splash of water or stock to the stovies when reheating to loosen it up a bit.